by Emma Easter
“A series of messages came in, and I just checked to see...” He blinked rapidly. “You haven’t answered my question, Sofia. When were you going to tell me your ex called you and asked you to meet up with him? That is where you’re going, isn’t it?”
She bristled. “You went to meet with your ex and kissed her,” she said, feeling defensive. “What do you care if I go and meet my ex as well.”
His mouth tipped, and he said, “I can’t force you not to go and see your ex. But please be careful, Sofia.” He looked her in the eye. “Do you still love him? George?”
She turned away from his perusal.
His voice sounded haunted as he asked, “Sofia, are you having second thoughts about us? Do you want to go back to George?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I have to go now, Jude.”
She started to walk past him, but he took hold of her arm. He pulled her to him and gathered her into a hug. At first, she resisted, but he held on and she settled her head on his chest. “Yesterday I knew I said something wrong after we kissed,” he whispered in her ear. “You were withdrawn, and I kept wondering what it was that I said that made you pull away.”
“Jude, stop it.” She tried to pull away from him, and he released her.
He took her hand before she could leave. “I kept trying to figure out what it was I said, and then I realized the exact moment you pulled away was when you asked if I was sure about my ex. I told you I was committed to you, to marrying you.” He gazed into her eyes. “I think you thought I was saying that I still love my ex but wanted to marry you because of the commitment I made. But that was not it at all.”
She groaned.
“What I meant to say was that you were the one I wanted to marry — not just because of a commitment I made to you, but because I know that I am starting to fall in love with you.”
She gasped and gazed at him, not knowing what to say. Her heart began to thud like it might burst out of her chest at any moment.
They stood looking at each other, and then his gaze shifted from her face to her lips. She could not remember how to breathe as he drew her closer, knowing he was going to kiss her again. She tilted her head up to receive his kiss and then started when her phone rang. She pulled away from him and grabbed her phone from the table. It was George.
She let the phone ring without answering, but she gave Jude an apologetic smile. “I'm sorry, Jude. I have to go. George will be waiting for me at the restaurant.”
As much as she wanted to stay here with Jude, she wanted to see George more. She wanted to know what he had to say to her.
She started to sweep past Jude, but once more he took hold of her hand. She groaned as his eyes searched hers. “Listen, Sofia, I will understand if you decide that you want to get back together with your ex after today, but just know I will be waiting right here for you to return. I won't give up on us.” He let her go, and she sighed as she walked out of the house.
George was already sitting at their favorite table when she reached the five-star restaurant. He had asked for Edith’s address in the text message he sent her, saying he wanted to pick her up and take her to the restaurant, but she had refused. She had told him she would come by herself because she did not want Edith or Flynn to see him. She didn’t want either of them to find out she was having dinner with George. Unfortunately, Edith had found out. So had the last person she’d wanted to know about her and George’s dinner date — Jude. She sighed, put her concerns away, and wore a smile for George. She hurried to the table and thanked him when he got up and pulled out the chair for her.
She sat across from him and studied him. He looked the same. He still had the sprinkling of grey hair at his temples, the smile lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth. But then again, the last time she’d seen him was barely two months ago. Her gaze swept over his face. His distinguished look had been part of what attracted her to him, but now she could not help comparing him with Jude.
He took her hand on the table and kissed it. “You look stunning, Sofia. As always.”
She said nothing. He had called her here because he had something to tell her. She would let him do all the talking.
He beckoned to a waiter and then reeled out his order. He ordered for her as well, just as he always did. When the waiter left, he turned his attention to her. “Sofia, I made a big mistake letting you go. I’m truly sorry. You are the one I want to be with forever.”
She shook her head. “And yet you broke up with me.” She snapped her fingers together. “Just like that.”
“My wife and I are getting a divorce. We are no longer together.”
Sofia blinked, surprised. All through the time they dated, he had constantly promised to divorce his wife, but he never had. Now that they’d broken up, he’d finally decided to leave her.
He took her hands again and wove his fingers through hers. “We belong together, Sofia. Please tell me you’ll take me back.”
Her heart beat rapidly. She could have what she had been dreaming about for a long time now that he and his wife were no longer together. “But what about your job and your wife’s threats? You could lose your job and everything you have?”
“I don’t care about any of that anymore,” he said. “As long as I am with you, I know everything will be all right.”
She shut her eyes briefly, feeling conflicted. Jude was in Edith’s house right now, waiting for her to return to him.
George squeezed her hand and leaned forward. “I promise you, Sofia, as soon as my divorce comes through, we will get married.”
Her mouth dropped open and she shook her head, surprised. “Really?”
“Yes.” He kissed the back of her hand again. “Please say you will take me back, Sofia.”
What am I going to do now?
She wanted to say yes, that she would take him back, but she could not stop thinking about Jude.
George squeezed her hand again and pleaded once more. Clearly reading how hesitant she was to give in from the expression on her face, he said, “You told me a couple of times that your dream wedding would be a destination wedding in Venice. We could have our wedding there and honeymoon in that hotel we stayed in the last time we were in Venice. Or we could have our honeymoon in a different country, if that is what you want.”
“But if you have left your wife, she has probably carried out her threats, hasn’t she? You don’t have a job now. How will you afford all that?”
“Sofia, yes, I don’t have a job now, but I still have savings and investments, more than enough for us to live on until I get a new job. Don’t worry about all that. Just say you will marry me.”
She bit her lip, still uncertain about what to do.
He pressed her again. “Say yes, Sofia. Say you will marry me. Please.”
She sighed. Isn’t this your dream, Sofia? Isn’t this what you’ve wanted for years? She heaved a long sigh again and gathered up a smile for George. She said, “Yes, George. I will marry you.”
He grinned and clapped his hands in the peculiar way he had whenever he was excited about something. “Thank you, Sofia!” He laughed and stood up, pulling her up with him. “Let’s get out of here!” he said jubilantly.
She frowned. “What about our food?”
He shrugged. “Don’t worry about that. We have to go.”
“Where are we going?”
“To a fabulous five-star boutique hotel I discovered recently. It just opened, and it’s not far from here. I already booked a room for us to celebrate in the event that you accepted my proposal. We will order room service and it will be just you and me.”
An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She hesitated for a beat, and he turned to look at her.
“Sofia, what is it?”
“Umm… nothing.” She smiled and brushed away her concerns.
He hurried out of the restaurant with her, holding her hand firmly. His Mercedes was waiting in front of the building. Len, his driver, opened the car
door for them, and she got in. George got in beside her and the driver shut the door.
She wanted to ask George how come his official driver was still his chauffeur if he wasn’t working for his father-in-law’s company anymore, but she changed her mind. Len had probably decided to become George’s personal driver, fully loyal to his boss of many years. There was no need to doubt George.
They reached the posh hotel, and while George checked them in, she stood next to him, her emotions raging with a mixture of guilt, confusion, and hope. As they rode the elevator to their room, she asked herself if this was what she truly wanted, but she had no ready answers.
Thirty minutes later, she lay on the bed beside George, listening to his quiet snoring. Guilt threatened to suffocate her, and self-loathing washed over her. She could not get Jude out of her mind. He was probably still at Edith’s waiting for her to return, while she was here in a hotel room with George. There was no way she could go back to him now. Not after she’d slept with George again. He would know when she didn’t return tonight. There would be no wedding. At least not with him. She would marry George and try to forget about him. George was right. They belonged together.
She struggled to sleep like George, but she couldn’t. She could not erase Jude’s face from her mind or forget the kiss they’d shared yesterday. She pictured him, the sincere expression on his face when he’d told her he was falling in love with her and would be waiting at Edith’s for her. She began to weep softly and could not stop as tears fell down her face in torrents and soaked her pillow.
Why am I crying so much? George was right beside her. Wasn’t he the one she had always wanted? She had only known Jude for a month.
Pain rippled through her as she thought about Jude. She felt torn. How would Jude feel when he found out she was back with George? He would be terribly hurt, she was sure.
She took a long deep breath and then wiped her tears with the duvet. She had to let go of Jude. He would be fine. Thankfully he would not have to go back to his country. After he accepted the fact that they would not be together, he would get back with his ex, marry her, and get his Green card. She, on the other hand, would marry George and be content with him. That was exactly how everything was meant to be.
George shifted on the bed and pulled her close. She snuggled up to him and settled into his arms, her head resting on his chest. Fresh tears formed in her eyes as Jude’s face appeared in her mind again. She forced his face away and wiped her tears. She had to be content with what she had now. Most of all, she had to try to forget about Jude completely.
Chapter 16
Jude could not sit still. He kept pacing his living room as he stared at his cell phone on the table. It took everything in him not to pick it up and dial Sofia’s number.
He groaned and raked his fingers through his hair. Sofia, where are you?
Once again, he reached out to pick up his phone and call Sofia, and then he withdrew his hand. He had to wait for Edith to call him. He had already dialed Sofia’s number more than a hundred times in the past night, but she had not picked up once. It was unlikely that she would answer his call now.
He stopped pacing and stood in the middle of the living room. For a long moment, he placed his hands on his head as he thought about Sofia and what she had told him yesterday. He could not bear the thought of her spending the night with her ex, but his mind would not let that possibility go. If she hadn’t spent the night with George, she would have answered his calls or called to let him or Edith know where she was. His heart pounded with fear. Unless something bad had happened to her. Something really bad.
He groaned and shook his head, and then looked at his phone again, willing it to ring. But it did not. His mind traveled again to his confrontation with Sofia yesterday. She had looked torn when she’d told him she was going to see George. He had kissed her, hoping it would make her change her mind and stay with him, but now he chastised himself for doing so. Maybe that had contributed in chasing her further away. Maybe she thought he had come on too strong. Before she’d left, he had told her he would wait for her to return, and he had. He had worried continuously as he waited in Edith’s living room; every hour she was away had left a thorn in his heart.
Flynn had returned to the house, clearly drunk, at about one a.m. and asked him what he was still doing there. He’d told Flynn he was waiting for Sofia to come back. Flynn had stared at him as though he’d lost his mind. “You are plumb crazy,” he’d said, and then staggered away.
He was grateful for Edith. She had come to the living room and sat with him while he talked about Sofia. He kept asking what was keeping Sofia, why she had not returned, all the while calling her phone. Edith did not answer any of his questions.
By two o’clock, his thoughts had begun to alternate between Sofia being in the arms of her ex, and her lying somewhere on the street, hurt or dead. Both scenarios made him feel sick.
“Maybe something bad has happened to her,” he had said to Edith at about a quarter past three. Edith only shook her head. Ten minutes later, she stood up and told him to go home. When he refused, she shrugged and told him she was going to bed. She left and once again he picked up his phone and called Sofia’s number. Again, she did not answer. He finally sat down on the sofa and folded his arms while he tapped his feet impatiently, still hoping Sofia would call him back.
Another hour later, Edith had returned to the living room. She sat across from him and said, “Jude, what are you still doing here? You know Sofia is with her ex right now.” She had pointed to the clock on the wall. “Look at the time. It is clear that she’s spending the night with him.”
He felt sick at the thought and told Edith that it might not be the case. He didn’t want to believe that Sofia had really gone back to her ex and was spending the night in his arms. But if she wasn’t with her ex, then where was she? It would mean she was definitely hurt or worse, and that, he could not stomach either.
Soon, he grew sleepy and then felt himself dozing. What seemed like a short time later, he woke up with a start when someone tapped his shoulder.
“Jude, you’re still here,” Edith said, looking down at him. “You should go home. I am sure Sofia is safe.”
He had told Edith that he would not leave until Sofia returned and he was certain she was okay.
Edith had sat next to him on the sofa and thrown him a sad smile. “She might not return. At least not today.”
He frowned. “Aren’t you worried about that? Maybe she’s hurt or something.” His heart squeezed with fear for Sofia. Once again, he prayed, asking God, who he had not spoken to in years until recently, to protect her.
Edith shook her head. “Jude, do you want to know the truth?”
He narrowed his eyes. He did not want to hear what she was going to say.
“I am going to tell you anyway,” Edith said. “You already know what the truth is, Jude. You need to accept it. Sofia is back with George. She has been with him for years, and even when I and some of her other friends warned her about him, she still stuck to him. She spent the night with him. There is no doubt about it.”
He wanted to ignore everything that Edith had just told him, but it was impossible. He’d refused to believe that Sofia had slept with her ex, even though deep down he knew it was true. Still he said to Edith, “Sofia would not do that. We are supposed to get married in two days’ time. Before she left, I told her I loved her.”
Edith sighed loudly. “And did she tell you she loved you?”
He shut his eyes and tried to convince himself that Sofia did love him and that she was not now with her ex, but he knew Edith was right. He did not know what he was going to do or how all this would turn out, but he felt as though his heart was being torn to shreds, just like when Keziah had broken up with him weeks before their wedding. Why is this happening again? Why would she do that to me?
He groaned. He had told Sofia before she’d left the house that he would understand if she decided to go back to her ex, bu
t now, sitting here, imagining her spending the night with that George guy, he knew it was a lie. He did not understand and never would. It hurt like crazy. Why had he allowed himself to fall in love with her?
“Jude, you should go home,” Edith repeated.
He shook his head. “I can’t. I promised Sofia I would be here waiting for her.”
Edith raised her brows. “You really love her, don’t you? You will stay here waiting for her even when you know she spent the night with another man?”
Pain tore at him again, but he nodded.
The hard look on Edith’s face disappeared, and her eyes softened. She said to him, “You’re so good for Sofia, Jude. I wish she wasn’t so stupid… leaving you here to go back to a man like George.” She looked into Jude’s eyes. “Fight for her, Jude. Don’t give up. Let me tell you something Sofia might not have told you. George is married.”
Jude raised his brows. “Married?”
“Yes! It was why they broke up. His wife came with him to the apartment he’d rented for Sofia and basically evicted her, took the car George bought her, and forced George to break up with her. Sofia was also fired from her job because she was working at the time for one of his wife’s father’s companies. I cannot imagine why Sofia would go back to him after all that.”
Jude tried to process what Edith was saying to him. George, the man Sofia had told him about, who she’d been totally enamored with, was a married man? “Why was she dating a married man?”
He did not know he’d asked the question out loud until Edith said, “Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe he called her to tell her he would leave his wife for her. He’s done that before, but he did not leave.”
Jude said in a tortured voice, “Maybe this time he truly has.” He could imagine a man, any man, married or single, leaving everything for Sofia. She was that kind of girl.
Edith said again, “Go home, Jude. I will call you when Sofia comes back.”
“And what if she doesn’t?” he asked.